


The Contract

by Phantoms_Echo



Series: SVTFOE DS [1]
Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Alternate Universe - BDSM, Contract Writing, Contracts, Dom/sub, It's a world-building thing just go with it, M/M, Mild Language, Neutral!Marco, No Smut, Service Top, Tom is learning, dom!Tom, part of a series, soft core
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25486795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantoms_Echo/pseuds/Phantoms_Echo
Summary: “Take a breath and reel in the Dom for a second, okay? Top Drop isn’t going to help anyone.”“Reel in the… what?” The term had Tom's anger banking fast under confusion. “What is Top Drop? And what’s it got to do with me?”“Wait, you’ve…” Marco frowned. “You’ve never heard of Top Drop?”“Would I be asking if I had?” Tom hissed testily.“Well, obviously not, but it’s such a common—!” Marco paused, looking thoughtful, before face-palming. “Right. Not a typical thing outside of Earth. Got it.”
Relationships: Marco Diaz/Tom Lucitor
Series: SVTFOE DS [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1846258
Comments: 4
Kudos: 191





	The Contract

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Star Vs. The Forces of Evil or it's characters, only the idea for this fic.
> 
> WARNING: I am *NOT* an expert on BDSM etiquette. All I know is what I have gleaned from similar fics. As such, there are going to be many things that diverge from reality. #1 of which is: This is a Dom/Sub AU, where Doms, Subs and Switches have a genetic categorization. In real life, some Doms will Sub for different people and some Subs will Dom (where the term Switches come from I believe). This series will eventually touch on Switches, but it will be handled as more of a world-building aspect than real life moods or choices.
> 
> In addition, the type of Dom Tom is (Service-Top) is a thing, though not often seen in D/s stories. I have read quite a few stories that do it well though, and it's ended up being one of my more favored types. If you are looking for Hard-core play, I'm sorry to say that this fic is not the one for you. Everything here will be soft-core at best.
> 
> As stated in the tags, no smut will make its appearance here, though it will be implied.
> 
> Please do not take what I have set in here as a be-all-end-all. I am just building a world where D/s dynamics are a larger part of modern society. Some stuff will be right, some stuff will be wrong and some stuff will just be different. 
> 
> PS - First SVTFOE fic, so characters will probably be a little OOC. I'm working on it for future additions to the series.
> 
> Also, I am very sad that there are not a lot of Tomco fics. Oh well, best I can do is add some new ones to the mix.
> 
> TimeLine-wise, I would set this before the NeverZone episode with Marco, for reasons that will become apparent in later installments. Other than that, I'm a little hazy on the whole chronology of this series, so if it gets to bad, I'll have to put a Canon Divergent tag on it. You guys just let me know, okay?
> 
> With that being said, enjoy this little fic!

It was another evening, another fight with Star and another night where Tom had to go to _Marco_ in order to calm himself down. One would think going to their rival-in-love’s room would be the _last_ place to find mental serenity, but strangely enough, it worked. Tom was so focused on _not_ flame-broiling everything in the room (because that would make Marco sad, not even angry, just _sad_ ) that he was actually able to face his emotions head on.

Even if he didn’t know what to _do_ with them.

“I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong!” Tom growled, nails digging into his scalp. “Nothing I do is _enough for her!_ ”

“Whoa, dude, calm down!” Cool hands brushed against his knuckles, prompting his grip to slacken. The gouges caused by his claws healed almost instantly. “Take a breath and reel in the Dom for a second, okay? Top Drop isn’t going to help anyone.”

“Reel in the… _what_?” The term had his anger banking fast under confusion. He dropped his hands so that he could treat Marco to the full measure of his baffled look. “What is Top Drop? And what’s it got to do with me?”

“Wait, you’ve…” Marco frowned. “You’ve never heard of Top Drop?”

“Would I be _asking_ if I had?” Tom hissed testily. 

“Well, obviously not, but it’s such a common—!” Marco paused, looking thoughtful, before face-palming. “Right. Not a typical thing outside of Earth. Got it.”

“Wait, this is an Earth thing?” Tom frowned.

“Yeah, I had to explain the whole thing to Star when she got here too.” Marco sighed and turned towards his desk. He dug through the drawers as he continued to explain. “Apparently Mewni doesn’t have an equivalent, though I’m not exactly surprised. They have a lot of backwards customs over there. I don’t know about other dimensions, but it wouldn’t be _impossible_ that it’s not a concept covered by the Underworld either.”

“Look, are you going to actually explain here or just continue to be around the bush?” Tom grumbled in annoyance. There was a low fizzle at the back of his throat, like a glowing ember just _waiting_ for some fuel. He swallowed pointedly.

“I am explaining! I just wanted — _aha!_ ” Marco exclaimed loudly as he dragged a book out of a drawer. He turned to Tom with a wide grin, book cover on display in his hands. “I knew I had bought a copy after Health Class!”

“ _Dominant and Submissive Dynamics and what it means to you?_ ” Tom read off the title with more than a little doubt.

“Humans have certain dynamics that are different than those on Mewni and, apparently, the Underworld.” Marco handed Tom the book to flip through. “There are four dynamics. The largest one is Neutral, which is what Mewmans like Star are. Neutrals make up about seventy-five percent of the population of Earth. Doms and Subs make up about ten percent each with Switches making up the last five percent.”

“Doms? Subs? Switches?” Tom was going more and more confused by the terms.

“Doms are the ones that like to take charge,” Marco explained. “This can be anything from corporate heads or politicians to head chefs and superintendents. They can be controlling and strict and usually have a large, dominating presence. Sometimes, they get fairly possessive too, or down-right _mean_ if they aren’t being balanced out.”

“And that… that’s what you think I am?” Tom’s vision turned red at the edges. “Controlling? Possessive? _Mean_?”

“ _No_ , I think you’re out of balance,” Marco corrected with a stern frown. His immediate denial did little to cool the flames licking at Tom’s tongue. “Doms, or Dominants, are _meant_ to be in control. When they _aren’t_ given that chance, or feel like they’re doing a bad job at it, they get out of balance. In the worst cases, they experience Top Drop. When they do, they can experience a number of symptoms: depression, dissociation, short temper, and so on and so forth. Sometimes, all it takes is one insignificant thing for them to explode.”

“... Explode?” Like what Tom did, when things didn’t go his way. When his plan failed or when Star _specifically_ went off course. He would have been _fine_ if she had just _listened to him—!_

Oh.

“What…” Tom swallowed again, the flames falling to smoke in his lungs. “How do they fix… Top Drop?”

“Well, usually, the idea is to _not_ let Doms get to that point. If they do, they should seek medical help. But in both cases, they require the help of a Sub.” Marco turned the page of the book in Tom’s hands. 

The page had an illustrated picture of two people in a very… intimate position. There was nothing overtly sexual about it —no bare skin, no genitals on display, not even any sex toys (and yes, Tom knew what those were. He was a healthy teenage demon. He’d gotten curious.)

Honestly, there was nothing he could point to, to explain _why_ it felt intimate. There were just two people, fully clothed. One stood tall and proud, staring down haughtily at the other knelt at their feet. The kneeling figure stared right back, eyes adoring and chin rested in the hand of the figure that stood. Nothing sexual at all.

It still made his stomach squirm.

“A Sub, or Submissive, is basically the opposite of a Dom.” Marco pointed to the kneeling figure. “They want to give up control, to the point that it’s a physical _need_. They generally find jobs where they don’t have to be in control of things, entry-level jobs where they aren’t in charge of other people or ones where the roles are strictly laid out. That isn’t to say they _can’t_ be in charge, just that they prefer not to be. They are most happy when they have a Dom to take care of them in a mutually beneficial relationship.”

Tom gently traced the picture with a nail. “And you think… I need a Sub?”

“I’m going to be honest: I don’t know how demons work.” Marco scratched the back of his neck nervously. “But if you were _human_ and displaying the symptoms I’ve seen so far, I would say you are a Dom on the edge of Top Drop. Though, your… explosions don’t really seem to last for long, so maybe not?”

“So I find a Sub, then… ‘dominate’ them? And I should be good?” Tom looked up, making sure he had understood Marco’s explanation correctly.

“No! Well, technically yes, but—!” Marco gave a frustrated growl and dragged a hand down his face. “Tom, I can’t let you just roam the streets to pick up Subs without _knowing_ what you’re doing! That’s not only dangerous for them, but also for you! Do you even know what a safe word is?”

“Uh… a term you use in baseball?” Tom guessed.

“It’s a word that you use in order to stop a scene.” Marco crossed his arms. “You and your partner should listen to it no matter what.”

“What’s a scene?” Tom asked, then cocked his head to the side. “And shouldn’t ‘stop’ work just fine?”

“In some cases, yes, but in others… there are some people that have really… _dark_ fantasies.” Marco looked queasy at the thought. “That’s why you _always_ have to have a safe word, or at least used the traffic light system.”

“Traffic light system?” Tom wrinkled his nose. “And you still didn’t tell me what a ‘scene’ is. I’ve only heard that term in reference to, like, plays and stuff.”

“Traffic light system is exactly what it sounds like. Red for ‘stop’, Yellow for ‘slow down and talk’, Green for ‘go’.” Marco waved the concept off as obvious. “And that’s the basic idea, as far as scenes go. Some people like to roleplay different scenarios, which they call ‘scenes’, but the term can loosely be used for any time a Dom, Sub, or Switch take part in certain roles for their partners, if the emotions get high.”

“Switch?” Tom frowned. “You said that before.”

“It’s a term used for someone who has dominant or submissive tendencies and can switch between the two,” Marco answered quickly, mind already jumping to the next topic to continue his train of thought. “Aftercare is also a big thing if you’re going to try to scene with someone. If you don’t take care of each other afterwards, you can still end up in a Top Drop or your partner could end up in a Sub Drop.”

“Soo…” Tom said slowly, drawing the word out. “I’m guessing Sub Drop is similar to Top Drop?”

“Similar and different,” Marco confirmed. “Subs can fall into depression too, but they can also experience anxiety, violent mood swings or suicidal thoughts. In the worst cases, they can fall into medical Shock, where their body starts to shut down due to overstress.”

“That…” Tom blanched. “That’s _horrible!_ ”

“It is,” Marco agreed. “Which is _why_ I said that you can’t just go out and find a Sub to scene with and call it a day! There are rules you need to follow; procedures in place to make sure that everything is safe, sane and consensual. I really don’t feel right letting you start something with someone otherwise.”

And really, Tom couldn’t fault him for that. He knew how much of a loose cannon he was, and he knew Marco knew that too. But if there was a way to make these random outbursts _stop_ …

Tom blinked.

The answer was simple.

“Then let me Dom you.”

Marco stared at him for a long minute. He blinked, cleaned out his ear with his pinky, then blinked at Tom again. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Let me Dom you,” Tom said again, a little hotly. He didn’t like repeating himself. “You know the basics, you can teach me as we go! And this way, I’m not finding some random stranger on the street either.”

“Uh, no? No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!” Marco waved his hands frantically. “That is _not_ going to happen!”

Tom bared his teeth. “Why _not_?”

“Uh, because I’m not a _Sub_?” Marco gestured to himself pointedly. 

“You aren’t?” Tom gave him a dubious once-over. “Could’ve fooled me.”

“You don’t even know what a Sub—!” Marco let out a frustrated groan and stopped. He took in a deep breath and rolled his eyes skywards, as if asking for help. “Look, you can take that book home to read up and I can teach you the basics if you want me too, but you’re going to have to find someone else to practice on. Star is a Neutral and I’m 87% certain I am too, so we can’t help you!”

“Wait, 87%?” Tom narrowed his eyes. “You don’t _know_?”

Marco’s eyes went wide, as if he realized he’d admitted something he hadn’t wanted known, then narrowed as he turned his gaze to the ground. “...Humans don’t know their dynamic for certain until they take the DS test in their Senior year of high school. All children seventeen and younger are treated as Neutrals until the test. Though, there are still some ‘early bloomers’ that have overt tendencies that make it kind of obvious what they are _way_ before the test.”

“But 87%?” Tom couldn’t resist a smirk as he leaned back on a hand. “That’s a pretty wide margin of error, isn’t it Diaz?”

“It’s not a _margin of error_!” Marco said hotly. “It’s… my parents, okay?”

Tom’s eyebrows rose at that. “Your… parents?”

“My mom and dad are a Dom-Sub pair.” Marco scratched at the back of his neck. “Which, according to genetics, means I have a non-zero possibility of being a dynamic other than Neutral. Switches are rare in any combination and usually occur due to extenuating circumstances. And well… there are… _personal_ things I’ve noticed…”

“Personal things?” Tom prompted. “Like wanting to snap someone’s fingers off for touching something that’s yours?”

Marco gave him a deadpanned look. “No Tom, I’m pretty sure that’s just a ‘you’ thing.”

Tom frowned, but gave a shrug. Demons were violent creatures. He knew this about himself.

“Anyway, your best bet is to learn what you can and then find someone else.” Marco finished with a gesture to the book in Tom’s lap. “Read up and come to me if you have questions. I can search the internet if I don’t know the answer or ask my parents, as _traumatizing_ as that would be.”

“I still can’t get over the fact that _your parents_ are a Pair. Which is the Dom?” Tom asked, then immediately held up a hand. “Wait, don’t tell me. It’s your dad, right?”

“Have you _ever_ met my dad?” Marco asked, giving him a weird look for the question. “He’s a big guy, but he’s a crybaby. Mom is the one who wears the figurative pants in their relationship.”

“Really?” Tom frowned. “But she seems so nice!”

“She is,” Marco agreed. “She’s a Service Top for the most part. They don’t really do the hard-core stuff… or at least, not where I can hear or see it, which I am grateful for every day.”

“Hard-core stuff?” Tom raised a curious eyebrow.

“You know, like bondage, pain play, sensory deprivation,” Marco listed off. “Stuff like that.”

“That… sounds a little like torture?”

“I mean… it kind of does?” Marco frowned. “But there are also people that _really_ like that stuff, to the point where they seek out others for help in doing it. It’s safer if it’s supervised, after all. It’s not really my thing, but what they do is their prerogative.”

“So what is considered _not_ hard-core stuff?” Tom wondered aloud.

“Usually Service Top stuff.” Marco paused to think. “Hand-feeding, massages, dressing the Sub in certain clothes. Bathing can be a pretty good activity too, if both parties find it mutually enjoyable.”

“It kind of sounds like the Dom is a servant there,” Tom grumbled. Did he really want to lower himself to that level?

“I mean, it can go both ways?” Marco gave a shrug. “Subs can also wait on the Doms hand-and-foot, in a sort of Master-Servant relationship. Those ‘Slave’ contracts are harder to come across since those people like to make it more 24/7 play than just a scene here or there. Seems like some pretty hard-core stuff to me, but what do I know?”

“And people… _like it_?” Tom thought of the demon minions he abused on a daily basis. None of them really looked happy about it.

“Like I said, some people are into some pretty out-there things.” Marco shrugged. “But as long as everyone talks it out first and writes it down in a Contract, then everything is good.”

“Contract?” Tom keyed in on the word. “Oh, I know contracts. I’m _amazing_ at contracts.”

“These are _not_ Soul-Binding Contracts.” Marco pointed out seriously. “Please do not go around asking Subs for their souls.”

Tom pursed his lips. “Then what is _supposed_ to go into Contracts?”

“Boundaries, limits, likes and dislikes.” Marco listed off on his fingers. “Like… if I didn’t want to get whipped, I would put it as a ‘hard no’ on the Contract. Whereas something like ‘Hand-feeding’ might get a ‘hell yes’.”

Tom shot the boy a sly look. “Thought about this, have you?”

Marco’s cheeks flushed red instantly. “I just really like food okay?! And it’s an example. An _example_! It’s not real!”

“So, in this _example…_ ” Tom rolled his eyes. “If I were to say the opposite, that I _liked_ to whip people, but didn’t like to feed them…?”

“Then we would be incompatible.” Marco gave a shrug. “You would have to respect my hard limits and I would have to respect yours.”

“There’s no negotiation?” Tom cocked his head to the side.

“Not where limits are concerned.” Marco shook his head. “Boundaries define the dos and don’ts and trying to go around them leads to coercion and unhealthy relationships. Even after the contract is signed, if a Dom or Sub violates it, the contract is voided and authorities are called in to deal with the contract-breaker. Contracts are considered as legally binding as any other kind of signed document, which is why lawyers are usually in charge of checking wording and looking for any loopholes, to make sure neither party is taken advantage of.”

“Huh… smart,” Tom mused as his brain whirled with ideas. Because Contracts were a thing he was familiar with and knew how to work towards his favor. “Are there any examples of Contracts I could look at?”

“There are probably hundreds online.” Marco made a wave towards his computer. “I can find some for you while you read that book and find a couple other websites for more pointers. This was a whole segment in our school health class after all. It’s kind of mandatory to have resources available for those who find themselves in need of it.”

“Cool, cool,” Tom said dismissively, his attention already turning back to the book. “Well, while Star cools down from our latest spat, I think I’ll give this a read. Who knows? I might find something useful in here.”

“It pays to be optimistic,” Marco agreed. 

He waved as Tom tore open a hell-gate. Tom waved back, then stepped through the flames and into his room. Dropping onto his bed, he opened the book to the first chapter and got to reading.

* * * * *

It was a week before Marco saw Tom again. No texts, no further questions, no requests to see contracts. Honestly, he thought the demon had forgotten all about their discussion. Right up until Friday’s lunch when a hell gate opened right in the middle of his and Star’s lunch table and the demon stepped out.

“Tom, good to see you,” Marco said, unenthused as he batted at his sandwich. A corner had caught fire before he’d managed to snatch it from the flames. It still smoked, but hopefully the rest would be fine? “Thanks for the prior warning of your visit. Always good to hear when you’ll be in town.”

Tom ignored him and held out a stack of papers in a grand gesture. “Marco Diaz, I want to make a Neutral-Buddy contract with you.”

Marco’s jaw fell open… which was bad because he had just been sucking on a juice box, so all of the liquid that had been in his mouth immediately fell onto his sweatshirt. He reacted a second too late, mouth snapping shut and sleeve coming up to mop up the mess, but the damage was already done. He eyed the wet spot on his jacket with distaste, but ultimately gave it up and turned his attention back to Tom.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you right.” Marco shot him a weird look. “Can you repeat that?”

The face Tom made said that he would rather do _anything but that_ , but he just sighed and stated his request again, this time without the large, smug grin. “I want you to make a Neutral-Buddy contract with me.”

“Uh-huh, that’s what I thought you said.” Marco grabbed a fistful of napkins and patted at his jacket. “I hate to break it to you, Tom, but I have no idea what that is.”

“Really? It was in that book you lent me.” Said book appeared from a burst of flames and hovered over Tom’s palm. “Chapter Fifteen, The Neutral Factor. Neutrals don’t feel the need to dominate or be dominated, but they can act as stand-ins should a Dom, Sub, or Switch be in need. They will not be as effective as a person with an active dynamic, as their instincts will not prompt them in any certain directions, but a well-worded Contract can guide them in ways to help those who require it. Such a contract is called a Neutral-Buddy Contract.”

“That’s not a…” Marco paused and scanned through his memory. He didn’t _think_ it was a thing, but then again, they didn’t go over the Neutral chapters as much. They focused on signs of dynamics and symptoms of drops and who to call in what kind of emergency. Everything about Neutrals… kind of fell to the way-side.

And now that he was giving it effort, he… _may,_ kind of, sort of, remember skimming over that section when he had read through the book in his spare time.

“Let me see.” Marco held out his hand for the book. It floated over and dropped neatly into his hands. Stupid show-off.

“Heeeeeyyyyy…” Star frowned at the book from over his shoulder as he flipped through. “Isn’t that the book you showed me when I first got here? The one about Earth dynamics?” 

“It is.” Marco nodded, slowing his page turns as the chapters counted up.

“Why does Tom have it?” Star asked. She didn’t give him any time before she was answering her own question with glee. “Is he learning about Earth? Are you learning about Earth, Tom? Aren’t the dynamics here so _cool_?!”

“Real cool, Starship,” Tom sent finger-guns her way. “Marco here mentioned something to me the other day and I was like ‘whaaaat?’ so he had to explain everything to me.”

“Oh my Mewni, _me too_!” Star gushed. “It’s _so_ different from back home! Apparently, all of the Mewmans would classify as Neutrals which is just so _bleh_ , but… wait, why are you asking Marco about a contract?”

“Because Tom is showing a number of Dom-like tendencies as well as symptoms of Top Drop that have me very worried about him,” Marco said, almost absently as he found the section Tom was referring to. He frowned as he read before letting out a defeated groan.

“What is it?” Star asked, worriedly.

“Oh, Marco’s just upset that I know something he doesn’t.” Tom grinned smugly and crossed his arms. He couldn’t help floating up a tiny bit, just to loom over Marco’s head. “Want to read that passage out loud for us, Marco?”

“No, I really don’t,” he grumbled and shoved the book away. Star immediately snatched it up, trying to figure out what the two were talking about. While she caught up on her reading, Marco just turned to Tom. “You _really_ want a Neutral-Buddy Contract? With _me_?”

“I can think of no one better to have it with.” Tom grinned, all his sharp teeth on display. 

Marco let out an explosive sigh. “Okay, I’ll go look up a contract tonight and see what I can sketch up.”

“No need.” Tom offered the neat stack of papers again. “I’ve got one right here.”

That… did not sound good. It sounded like Tom was expecting Marco to agree to it before he ever posed the idea. Marco wondered just how predictable he was.

“Now, all you’ve got to do is sign and we can start!” Tom said, sounding _way_ too enthusiastic as he magicked up a pen from nowhere.

“Hold your horses, Bottle Rocket.” Marco gave him a flat look. “I’m not signing _anything_ until I read what you’ve got.”

“Oh come on!” Tom huffed and threw up his arms. “There’s nothing to be worried about! I took out the stuff with the Soul bargaining, so everything’s fine!”

“Soul bargaining?” Star tuned back in at just the right time. “Wait, you want his _soul_?”

“Weren’t you listening?” Tom gestured wildly to the stack of papers Marco was reading. “I took that part out!”

“Yeah, but you made a contract without my direct input.” Marco gave him a pointed look. “Which I _specifically remember telling you_ is a no-go where limits and boundaries are concerned.”

“... What?” Both Star and Tom looked at him, dumbfounded.

“Honestly, it’s like no one ever listens to me,” Marco grumbled to himself. He rolled back the top pages and pointed to the section that explained what Tom wanted him to do. “Right here, you say that you want my attention 24/7. I literally _can’t_ give you that. I have to sleep and attend school, so that’s out right there. You also say you want to try bondage—!”

“Just Shibari,” Tom protested. “I saw some pictures in the book and it looked pretty cool.”

“I don’t care what kind it is. I’m not doing it!” At Tom’s forlorn look, Marco faltered and quickly added. “At least, not until you’ve been properly trained. That stuff is dangerous. People can lose limbs!”

“Wait, what?” Star’s head popped up from the book. “People can lose limbs from being tied up? …Uh-oh.”

“And there’s no time limit listed! I’m not just going to be at your beckon-call for the rest of my life!” Marco continued right past Star’s interjection. At the sudden quiet of the lunchroom, he realized just how large of a crowd they had. Oops.

“So… if I make those changes, you’ll sign it?” Tom asked. He looked like that was the _last_ thing he wanted to do, as if Marco’s refusal was _not_ in his plans (which, given what he knew about Tom, was a very high probability).

Marco really wished he had had the foresight to take this conversation elsewhere, where the rest of the school (and _Jackie Lynn Thomas_ ) wouldn’t see him being bullied into a contract, but he knew it was too late. Tom’s hackles were already raised. Any attempt to move the conversation somewhere else would be seen as an aversion tactic and light his already short fuse. So, despite the overwhelming embarrassment the situation brought, Marco just had to man-up and finish it.

“No,” he said. He cast his eyes down to the table, as if that would block out the whispers that were starting up around the lunchroom. “If you make those changes, I will _consider_ your contract. I only read the summary and limits. There’s still a lot more I need to read and review before I agree to signing it.”

“What!?” Tom demanded, his eyes taking on an unholy hue. “Why can’t you just sign it?! Don’t you trust me?!”

“Honestly?” Marco looked up, forcing himself not to quake under the demon’s glare. “No. I don’t.”

That brought Tom up short.

“Remember what I said about the reason for contracts? It’s to prevent coercion and unhealthy relationships. We didn’t exactly get off on the right foot, Tom, and you’ve been hot and cold ever since. You want me trust?” Marco set the stack of paper back on the table and pushed it to Tom’s feet. “Write this contract _with_ me, not _for_ me.”

There was a tense silence where Tom glared down at Marco and the rest of the lunchroom held their breath, just waiting to see what happened.

Then Tom bent down, picked up the contract, and disappear in a pillar of flames.

Marco let out a shuddering breath and tried to blink away the black spots in his vision. That was _so close_.

“Marco!” Star shook him enthusiastically (which was really not helping his sudden case of nausea). “That was so _cool_! You talked Tom down and he didn’t even explode! You’re like a demon-whisperer!”

“Yeah, man,” Jackie noted from her seat two tables away. She draped herself over the back of her chair. “That was pretty cool, Diaz. Way to stand up for yourself.”

“Th-th-thanks, Jackie.” Marco tried very hard to ignore the way his face was heating and his hands suddenly felt clammy.

“So what was that contract he was talking about?” Jackie asked. “Neutral-Buddy?”

“Oh, well, it’s this thing in our health books…” Marco explained. The rest of the lunchroom stared with rapt attention as he went through the mechanics. Some other students asked questions, to which either Marco answered or responded with a need for more research.

The event had taken about a quarter of the time for lunch, with the explanation and questions taking the rest of the time. Marco hurried to shovel the rest of his food in before the bell called them to class.

“Nice job, Marco!” Star shoulder-checked him cheerfully. “Who knew Earth dynamics could be so _cool_?!”

“Y-yeah.” Marco swallowed thickly and stowed his lunchbox in his locker. “Cool.”

(He tried not to think of the way the crowd at lunch had stared at him, like he was some kind of scientific wonder… or freak. He told himself it was fine; Star thought he was cool; _Jackie_ thought he was cool. It was okay to know these kinds of things. Everything was _fine_. He tried to convince himself that he was telling the truth.)

(He only half-succeeded.)

* * * * *

Tom took Marco’s complaints into account with his next contract version and brought it to the human the next day. He had made the mistake of confronting Marco in front of his peers, to which the boy always seemed to get more defensive. This time, Tom caught him just as he was getting home from karate, Star skipping into the kitchen with a cheerful wave.

“Maaaarcooo!” she sang. “You’ve got a visitor!”

“How do you know he’s here for me?” Marco asked with a flat look. “He could be here for _you_ , you know.”

Tom held up the contract. Star pointed to it.

“… Ugh, fine.” Marco let out a sigh, but held out a hand. “Let’s have a look at it.”

Tom handed it over, excitement bubbling in his stomach. Or maybe that was indigestion.

Marco flipped through it quickly, seeming to search out certain sections of the contract first. “You took out the part with the 24/7 attention. Good.”

“Yeah, I realized that you were right.” Tom examined his nails, as if he weren’t completely attuned to Marco’s facial expressions. “It would get pretty annoying to have you around _all_ the time. I need my ‘me’ time, you know.”

Marco treated him to a flat look, but didn’t press the issue. Instead, he turned back to the contract. “You’ve got a condition here for the bondage stuff.”

“Yes, I put in the thing about the classes, because you were pretty against it,” Tom noted. “I found some online courses that your human world offers.”

“It would be better if you have an in-person class,” Marco commented idly. “There are some things that better learned hands-on.”

Tom made a mental note to look up said classes later, when he had time.

“But for now, I’d really like this condition taken out.” Marco pointed to the bullet with bondage. “I don’t want to give you blanket authority to suddenly spring this on me whenever. If you want to do something like bondage or some other, more hard-core scene, we’ll need to make a new, hourly contract.”

Tom frowned at that. “But why? I’m going to take the classes.”

“I don’t doubt you will. I know you like to plan things down to the detail, so _not_ taking a class doesn’t match your MO,” Marco said, causing the little ember in Tom’s chest to cool. “But I’m also trying to give you the experience of an _actual_ Dom-Sub dynamic. And no Sub in their right mind would agree to a blanket statement like that, not without knowing their Dom for _years_ beforehand. And hourly contract is more typically for those kinds of scenes.”

Tom adjusted his jaw and rolled his tongue threw some errant plumes of smoke, but held back his words. “Anything else?”

“The only other thing I see at an initial glance is the time limit.” Marco looked up, a little incredulous. “Five _years_ , Tom? Really?”

“I thought we’d start out with something short.” Tom gave a light shrug. “See how this works out. And, if it’s agreeable, make it longer.”

“ _Five years_ is a long time,” Marco deadpanned. “Five years from now, I’ll be twenty _. One-fifth_ of my life will be over. And that’s _if_ I make it to 100. Most guys don’t make it past 80!”

“So, like… three years?”

“Think less in years and more in months,” Marco said as he shoved the stack of papers back into his hands. “Or, more realistically, _weeks_.”

Tom ground his teeth together, but resolutely _didn’t_ turn the papers in his hands into ash. Yes, this copy was worthless, but he’d rather not start from scratch. He would just… take it back and re-work the problem sections.

Again.

So set the mood for the entire negotiation process. Tom would bring a contract, Marco would rip into it and Tom would have to take the tatters back and make something new of it.

Some of the complaints Tom could kind of understand. (“What do you mean _I can’t date anyone or hold contracts during this time?_ Is that a rule _you_ have, Tom? No? Then why should _I_ follow it?!)

Some of the complaints he didn’t. (“What part of _week_ don’t you understand, Tom!?”)

What he thought would take less than an hour ended up spanning the course of several weeks, to the point where Tom was almost foaming at the mouth with the amount of rework he’d had to do. The contract looked _nothing_ like the original he had written and he _knew_ that this was a process, with bargaining on either side, but it seemed to him that there was a lot less _bargaining_ and a lot more _Marco-saying-no_ than there should be.

Honestly, if he didn’t like this last copy, Tom was just going to burn the whole thing to—!

“Okay,” Marco said after he had finished reading through the pages.

“Okay?” Tom’s heart quickened at the agreement. “Okay! Then it’s good! Now, you sign it!”

“ _Now_ , I hand it over to my parents,” Marco said as he carefully slid the stack of papers into his backpack. “Who will read it over and check for anything they would find inappropriate for me to be agreeing to.”

Tom’s vision went red. “ ** _What_**?!”

“Hey, don’t go getting mad at me!” Marco held up a hand. “This is how this kind of thing works for kids who are underaged! They start the initial negotiations, but their parents have to chime in to make sure they aren’t getting too ahead of themselves. Honestly, your parents should _also_ be reading this over, not just mine.”

Tom ground his teeth together. Marco’s comment wasn’t exactly offensive, it was even a good idea, if Tom really thought about it.

But he didn’t _want_ to think! He wanted to get this stupid contract over and done with so he could finally get control over _something_ in his life! He didn’t _want_ to wait through another night of anticipation or feel another burst of false hope as Marco put more and more conditions on the table!

He just wanted—!

“Tom,” Marco said calmly. “If you don’t get control of yourself, the deal’s off.”

“ ** _No_!”** He coughed out the smoke and fire in his lungs and took a steadying breath. “No! It’s fine! I’m fine! We’re all good! Everything’s calm!”

Marco looked far from convinced. Tom cringed.

“Just… take a copy of the contract to your parents,” Marco said, sounding exhausted as he did. “Explain to them what you’re trying to do. If they look at you weird, you can say something like… you’re getting first-hand experience of Earth customs or something. I’ll still have my parents look it over, in case yours miss something because they aren’t used to the system.”

Tom doubted his parents would have any problems reading the contract. They were demons, but more importantly, they were _politicians_. They could handle a basic contract like this.

“My parents should be able to get through it tonight,” Marco continued. “I’ll use Star’s mirror to call you when I’ve finished discussing it with them.”

Okay… okay, it wasn’t another night. It wasn’t another put off. It was just a few hours after school. Probably a little after dinner.

Marco would give the contract to his parents, they would _love_ it because Tom had gone over it _fifteen times_ with a fine-toothed comb, and Marco would sign it and they could get started on their week of Neutral-Buddy Contract. And if it worked out, Tom could print another copy for the next week and the week after that and the week after _that_ and so on until he finally got his anger under control and pushed himself away from a Top Drop.

If it didn’t work… well, at least he had tried.

So he took a fortifying breath and called open a portal to return to his room.

He took a moment to ‘walk-it-out-and-talk-it-out’, growling and grumbling at the rest of his room until the worst of his emotions had passed. He looked over at his computer before retrieving his therapy pet. He wouldn’t be making any changes to the contract this time, but the simple _act_ of sitting in front of his computer with the word document open was enough to get his hackles raised.

Once his rabbit was safely in hand, he took a seat, clicked on the print button, and just _breathed_ as the papers started printing to his left.

It was fine. Everything was fine. Everything _would be_ fine. Marco’s parents would see nothing wrong with the contract. He had followed the guidelines set out by normal Neutral-Buddy contracts (if a little flavored to his own preferences) and the typical human lawyer-talk. There was nothing R-rated in there, Tom had made _sure_ of it.

(Marco wouldn’t have gone for it if he had. And Tom, you know, liked _Star_ , not Marco. And maybe, thinking R-rated things about his sometimes-friend-sometimes-rival made Tom’s stomach do weird things and really, it was better if he just didn’t think those things.)

So everything would be fine on Marco’s end.

Now, Tom just had to get his own parents to approve and _not_ question the absence of the usual soul-bargaining clause.

He let out a sigh.

This was going to be a long day.

* * * * *

Just like he said, Marco had taken the contract straight to his parents for their approval. His dad immediately signed off after his read-through, but his mom was more hesitant.

“Are you sure this is something you want to do, honey?” she asked. “You’re awfully young to start into this kind of thing. You haven’t even had your DS test yet.”

“I know, but… Tom, the guy I’m doing this for, he really needs help. And he asked _me_ to do it.” Marco fiddled with the corner of the top page. “Besides, nothing in here is too… _out there_ , you know. So it’s just like… getting my feet wet! So I know what to expect later!”

“Marco.” His mom placed a hand on his shoulder. “There _is_ a chance you’ll end up like me.”

“There’s also a chance I’ll end up like _Dad_.” Marco wrinkled his nose, then quickly backpedaled at the look his mom sent him. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that! Just—! I like _knowing_ what I’m getting into! I can't stand being in the dark! And this is a… relatively safe way to do that.”

“Ooh… That’s my little man!” His mom simpered with a mushy loving gaze. She dragged him in close and ruffled his hair. “Thinking of all the safety measures!”

“Moooom!” Marco groaned, but didn’t try to escape.

“As far as contracts go, this one is pretty well written,” his mother said after she let him go. “It’s air tight, as far as I can tell, but also pretty tame.”

“You would have _hated_ the first one he wrote.” Marco rolled his eyes. “He didn’t even _ask_ me about it.”

At that, she looked concerned. “That doesn’t sound like a good start.”

“It wasn’t,” Marco agreed. “But I explained why I didn’t like it and he listened to me and made changes. So, while I didn’t exactly help with the first version, I can definitely say that I helped with this one.”

“And you agree to all the terms?” his mother confirmed.

He nodded.

“Then I see no reason to say no.” She signed the bottom of the last page, underneath where his name would go. “But if your friend ever tries to push for more—?”

“I’ll come right to you,” Marco promised.

“That’s my boy.” She cupped his cheek and gave his forehead a kiss. “Now, when were you going to tell him about this?”

“I was going to call him as soon as you finished signing,” Marco said.

“Well, you have you dad’s and my blessing.” She tapped the stack of papers into order and offered them to him. “Stay safe now.”

“I will!” Marco grabbed up the stack and headed towards Star’s room. He paused outside her door, hesitating. He had been able to feign confidence for his mom, and a part of him even believed his excuse! But another part… another part was worried.

Was he making the right choice? Should he place his trust in Tom like this? Tom had his own problems on the _best_ days, should Marco start out with someone more stable?

He shook his head.

No, this wasn’t about him, not any further than his limits in the contract went. This was about Tom and getting him the help he needed. Besides, if this didn’t work out, the contract was only scheduled out for a week. If it didn’t work out, then they could cancel it. Heck, they could cancel it _early_ if it was really bad.

He had done his research. He had drawn the lines and Tom respected that. Now, it was just a matter of seeing how things played out.

Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly before nodding to himself and knocking on Star’s door.

“Hey Marco!” Star greeted cheerfully. Her eyes dropped to the stack of papers in his hands, but her smile didn’t dim in the least. “Is that the contract between you and Tom? Did your parents sign off on it?”

“Yes and yes,” Marco confirmed, following Star into the room as she bounced over to her nightstand. “Now, I just need to talk to Tom and get this signed. Do you mind if I…?”

“Go ahead!” She gestured widely with her arm to where her mirror was hidden behind a curtain. “Take as long as you need! PonyHead and I are heading out to a party tonight, so you two can have all the time you want!”

“Thanks, but this shouldn’t take long.” Marco waved her off.

“Oh, okay! In any case, don’t wait up!” Star used her scissors to cut a hole in the dimensions. “Ponyhead and I plan to be out all night. It’s gonna be _awwwwesoooommme!_ ”

Marco laughed and waved as Star disappeared. Then he turned to the curtained mirror. Inhaling deeply, he squared his shoulders and pulled the rope to part the fabric. “Call Tom.”

_“Calling Tom…_ ” the mirror replied. There was a second of waiting before the other end picked up.

_“Marco?”_ Tom’s frowned cleared when he saw the other boy. _“Hey! You called!”_

“Yeah, just like I said I would.” Marco gave him a pointed look. Tom either ignored it or missed it entirely.

“ _So your parents looked it over, right? What’d they say?”_

“Dad and Mom both signed off on it.” Marco held up the last page with their signatures for proof. “What about your parents?”

_“They didn’t really understand the whole ‘no-soul-bargaining’ contract thing, but they think the rest of the deal is fair.”_ Tom held up his own last page, also with signatures and an official wax seal. _“So what now?”_

“Now, we sign both last pages and keep the other’s copy.” Marco pulled a pen from his pocket, because it never hurt to be prepared. “As long as we don’t make changes, we shouldn’t need our parents’ approval again for this contract.”

“ _Awesome!”_ Tom almost seemed to _glow_ with how bright his smile was. Marco took a second to sign his name on his part of the contract, using the wall as a writing surface. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tom using his desk to do the same. “ _How do you want to switch?”_

“Uh… can you open a small hell gate?” Marco frowned. “Or would the papers burn up?”

_“It won’t if I open the hell gate around it,”_ Tom said. _“Though, if you try to throw them in after, they’ll definitely burn up._ ”

“Okay, I’ll just set them on the floor here.” Marco took a few steps back and placed the contract down. “Can you see it there?”

“ _Yep, perfect!_ ”

There was a flash of light, then a new stack of papers sat at Marco’s feet, perpendicular to how he’d set his down. He picked it up and quickly repeated the process.

_“And done!”_ Tom signed his with a happy flourish. He flashed the page towards the mirror, then set the stack over top of it and tapped the papers into order. “ _So our contract starts now, right?”_

Marco blinked and tilted his head. “It… can start now, but…”

Tom’s face grew dark at Marco’s hesitance.

“Tomorrow might be better.” Marco crossed his arms. “Do you even know what you want to do?”

Tom opened his mouth to protest, then halted at that. He looked generally surprised. “ _I… don’t. I didn’t think that far ahead._ ”

Marco gave a shrug. “If you have an idea, I’m all for starting tonight. I’ve got about three hours before I have to go to bed. Star’s out with Ponyhead all night and I don’t have any homework that needs doing. But we can also wait until tomorrow if you need time to come up with a plan. I’m cool either way.”

_“Let’s…”_ Tom paused, seeming to war with himself before deciding. _“Let’s start tomorrow. I need to think about what I want to do. No sense in trying tonight and just getting frustrated.”_

“Yes,” Marco agreed. “Frustration is the _last_ thing this contract is supposed to bring.”

_“After the whole ‘writing’ bit anyway,”_ Tom grumbled.

“Yeah.” Marco laughed. “After that.”

_“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then!_ ” Tom promised. He gave a wave.

“Tomorrow!” Marco agreed with a wave of his own. Then the mirror cut out.

Marco let out a slow breath and stared down at the contract.

He had done it. He had signed the contract. For the next week, he was Tom’s acting Sub.

He wondered just what he had gotten himself into.

**Author's Note:**

> So I had originally planned to wait until I had all of the other parts written for this, but the fic was starting to get really big, so I decided to cut it.
> 
> I have... 2? More installments for this. One fluffy and one angsty. We'll see if those get too big as well, but I think I've got a good read on their length. :) Got a few projects before that I need to finish up though, so it's going to be a while until I update.
> 
> Anyway, hope to see you all the next time I swing by this fandom! :)


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